The problem is based on one of the most distorting elements in U.S. democracy: the disproportionate political power of small rural population states, especially in the U.S. Senate. By 2040, 70% of the nation’s population will live in only 16 states. That leaves 30% of the population – residing in states that are often less diverse, more rural, and quite conservative – controlling nearly 70% of the U.S. Senate.

The personification of this is Mitch McConnell, and we know the U.S.’s racist history and why things are structured as they are. While 2020 could bring surprises, the data show the problem worsening through 2030 and beyond. This is a huge barrier to racial and economic justice, Supreme Court and federal judicial nominations, and the Electoral College.

If something isn't done about this soon we'll have minority rule of the majority of folks in the US, and that's a serious problem.